Kylian Mbappé ‘misses’ playing alongside Lionel Messi at PSG

Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappé has said he misses playing alongside his former teammate Lionel Messi.

Messi, an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, played two seasons with Mbappe at PSG before joining Inter Miami as a free agent in July 2023.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (US)

During their time together, Mbappé and Messi won two league titles and a Coupe de France – although Messi and teammate Neymar were booed during their final months at the club after suffering successive Champions League eliminations in the round of 16.

“You still miss playing with Leo Messi,” Mbappé told Amazon Prime Sport. “For a striker like me, you love running into space, with him [in your team] you are sure you can recover the ball. It’s a luxury that only he can give you. Overall, playing with him was special. Messi deserves all the respect and in reality in France he did not receive the respect he deserved. »

Mbappe, who scored on Wednesday to help PSG win the French Champions Trophy, said after the match that he had not yet made a decision about his future.

The French World Cup winner has been a long-time target of Real Madrid and his contract at PSG expires this summer.

“I haven’t made my decision yet,” Mbappé told reporters. “I didn’t make a choice.

“But like I said, the most important thing is the titles. We have already won one and we are determined to win more.”

Mbappé, 25, was set to join Madrid in the summer of 2022 before announcing a change of heart and staying at the Parc des Princes.

Mbappé, who signed from Monaco in 2017 and is PSG's all-time top scorer, has won five Ligue 1 titles with the club. PSG dominates Ligue 1 by five points and will face Real Sociedad in the round of 16 of the Champions League.